Composition for relieving menopausal symptom or osteoporosis

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a composition for alleviating, preventing, or treating menopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosis. The composition of the present invention is rapidly effective in preventing or alleviating menopausal symptoms, and thus may be usefully used in conventional hormone replacement therapies (HRTs) used to prevent or alleviate menopausal symptoms. 
     In addition, the composition of the present invention has no toxicity, can be used as food due to few side effects, and is safe, unlike conventional therapeutic agents for menopausal symptoms, and thus may be more effectively used as compared to conventional therapeutic agents for menopausal symptoms.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a composition for preventing,alleviating, or treating female menopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosiswhich includes a mixed Puerariae Flos extract.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Women's menopause is a phenomenon of menstrual cessation that occurswhen a genetically determined ovarian function of about 50 years afterbirth has reached the end of its life. This means loss of reproductivecapacity and is not a morbid phenomenon, but is a physiological change.Currently, the average life expectancy of Korean women is 81.2 years,and, assuming that the average menopausal age of Korean women prescribedby the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is 50years, this means that about one third or more of women's lives continuewith depleted female hormones.

Due to the imbalance and reduction of female hormone secretion bymenopause, changes occur throughout the whole body including thevascular system, the musculoskeletal system, the genitourinary system,the cranial nerve, and the like. That is, a variety of diseases andsymptoms, for example, vascular mobility and psychological symptoms suchas facial flushing, night sweating, sleeping disorders, fatigue,depression, anxiety, concentration disorders, and memory impairment;dyspareunia and urinary frequency due to urogenital atrophy; loss ofskin elasticity and mastoptosis due to collagen reduction;cardiovascular and musculoskeletal symptoms; dementia; and the likeco-occur. It is reported that 89% of women who have experienced naturalmenopause experience at least one menopausal symptom, and frequentlyexperience menopausal symptoms.

Although menopausal symptoms vary from person to person, it has beenreported that a great number of women experience menopausal symptoms,and the severer the degree thereof and longer the period thereof, thelower the quality of their lives. In addition, menopausal symptoms arelikely to proceed into chronic diseases together with aging of the body.

Treatment of menopausal symptoms may include hormone therapy,pharmacotherapy, exercise therapy, dietary therapy, and the like. Amongthese, medically and substantially used female hormone therapy mayincrease the risk of breast cancer and the like, and may increase therate of uterine cancer, thrombotic diseases, gallbladder diseases, andhypertension during long-term use. Thus, research on phytoestrogen,which is reported to have estrogen-like functions to replace estrogentherapy, other drug therapies, and the like, has recently been activelyconducted.

Previous studies related to improvement of menopausal symptoms disclosea functional food for the alleviation of menopausal symptoms whichincludes, as main ingredients, Angelica gigas NAKAI, Ligusticumchuanxiong HORT., Paeonia japonica (Makino) Miyabe et Takeda, whiteatractylis, white Poria cocos, red ginseng, and a soybean extract, and afood including, as main ingredients, milk vetch roots, cassia seeds,kudzu, and a soybean extract and having an effect of alleviating femalemenopausal symptoms.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention continuously studiedand developed natural substances capable of effectively alleviatingoverall menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis due to the menopause, thuscompleting the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a composition foreffectively preventing, alleviating, or treating female overallmenopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosis.

The prevent invention provides a composition for the prevention,treatment, or alleviation of menopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosiswhich includes: a Puerariae Flos extract; and an extract of one or moreselected from the group consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and CitriPericarpium.

The composition may be a food composition, a pharmaceutical composition,or a composition for skin external application.

The present invention also provides a health functional food includingthe above-described extract.

The present invention also provides a cosmetic, a drug, and/or a skinexternal application including the above-described composition.

According to the present invention, a composition is rapidly effectivein preventing or alleviating female menopausal symptoms and/orosteoporosis, and thus may be usefully used in conventional hormonereplacement therapy (HRT) used to prevent or alleviate menopausalsymptoms. In addition, the composition according to the presentinvention has no toxicity, can be used as food due to few side effects,and is safe, unlike conventional therapeutic agents for femalemenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis, and thus can be widely used as atherapeutic agent for female menopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a graph showing cell viability of an extract according to anembodiment of the present invention with respect to an estrogenreceptor-positive human breast cancer cell line.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing an effect of promoting proliferation onosteoblasts by a mixed extract according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an effect of promoting differentiation onosteoblasts by a mixed extract according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing an effect inhibiting proliferation ofosteoclasts by a mixed extract according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a composition for the prevention,alleviation, or treatment of menopausal symptoms which includes: aPuerariae Flos extract; and an extract of one or more selected from thegroup consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium.

The present invention also provides a composition for the prevention,alleviation, or treatment of osteoporosis which includes: a PuerariaeFlos extract; and an extract of one or more selected from the groupconsisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium.

Hereinafter, the composition according to the present invention will bedescribed in more detail.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it was experimentallyconfirmed that, when a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7 cell line) wastreated with a mixture of a Puerariae Flos extract and a Citri FructusAurantii or Citri Pericarpium extract, cell viability was enhanced, and,as a result of direct administration of the extract of the presentinvention, by utilization of the Kupperman index, menopausal symptomswere alleviated (see Experimental Examples 1 and 5). In addition, it wasexperimentally confirmed that, when osteoblast-like cells (MG-63 cells)were treated with the extract mixture of the present invention, theproliferation of osteoblasts was promoted, while the proliferation ofosteoclasts was inhibited (see Experimental Examples 2 to 4).

Since the extract mixture of the present invention may treat oralleviate both menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis, the composition ofthe present invention may be a composition for preventing, treating, oralleviating menopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosis which includes: aPuerariae Flos extract; and an extract of one or more selected from thegroup consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium.

As described above, the composition for preventing or alleviatingmenopausal symptoms and/or osteoporosis includes the extract mixture.The extract mixture includes: a Puerariae Flos extract; and an extractof one or more selected from the group consisting of Citri FructusAurantii and Citri Pericarpium. More particularly, the extract mixturemay be a mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and the Citri FructusAurantii extract, a mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and the CitriPericarpium extract, or a mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract, theCitri Fructus Aurantii extract, and the Citri Pericarpium extract.

The extract mixture may include 1 part by weight to 100 parts by weightof an extract of one or more selected from the group consisting of CitriFructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium with respect to 10 parts byweight of the Puerariae Flos extract (a weight ratio of the PuerariaeFlos extract and an extract of one or more selected from the groupconsisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium 10:1 to 100).Preferably, the extract mixture may include 5 parts by weight to 50parts by weight, more preferably, 8 parts by weight to 20 parts byweight, of an extract of one or more selected from the group consistingof Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium with respect to 10 partsby weight of the Puerariae Flos extract. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, it is confirmed that, when the mixture of thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract or themixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and the Citri Pericarpium extractis used, the extract mixture exhibited a more excellent effect ofalleviating or preventing menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis, ascompared to a single extract.

The term ‘Puerariae Flos’ as used herein refers to the flower ofPueraria lobate, which is herbaceous perennial vine belonging to thefamily Leguminosae and a traditional herbal medicine widely used inherbal clinic. This term is also referred to as Pueraria lobate.Ingredients of Puerariae Flos include various compounds belonging to theisoflavone family. Puerariae Flos may be buds that do not bloom.

The term ‘Citri Fructus Aurantii’ as used herein refers to fruits ofCitrus aurantium, Citrus natsudaidai, or a cultivated variant thereofthat belongs to the family Rutaceae. Preferably, Citri Fructus Aurantiimay be an immature fruit. It has been reported that a variety ofcompounds as main ingredients belonging to the flavanone and flavonoidfamilies were isolated and are effective in antioxidation andanti-inflammation. Non-limiting examples of Citri Fructus Aurantiiinclude Aurantium acre, Aurantium bigarella, Aurantium corniculatum,Aurantium coronatum, Aurantium distortum, Aurantium humile, Aurantiummyrtifolium, Aurantium orientale, Aurantium Silvestre, Aurantiumsinense, Aurantium variegatum, Aurantium vulgare, Citrus bigaradia,Citrus humilis, Citrus amara, Citrus aurata, Citrus benikoji, Citruscalot, Citrus canaliculata, Citrus changshan-huyou, Citrus communis,Citrus dulcimedulla, Citrus dulcis, Citrus florida, Citrus funadoko,Citrus fusca, Citrus glaberrima, Citrus humilis, Citrus intermedia,Citrus iwaikan, Citrus iyo, Citrus karna, Citrus keraji, Citrus kotokan,Citrus medioglobosa, Citrus mitsuharu, Citrus myrtifolia, Citrusnatsudaidai, Citrus omikanto, Citrus pseudogulgul, Citrus reshni, Citrusrokugatsu, Citrus rumphii, Citrus sinograndis, Citrus subcompressa,Citrus sulcata, Citrus taiwanica, Citrus tangelo, Citrus tengu, Citrustosa-asahi, Citrus truncate, Citrus vulgaris, Citrus yatsushiro, andCitrus yuge-hyokan.

The term ‘Citri Pericarpium’ as used herein refers to the pericarp ofCitrus unshiu Markovich or fruits of closely related congeneric plants.Also, Citri Pericarpium may be the pericarp of Citrus reticulata Blancoand fruits of cultivated variants thereof. It tastes bitter and spicyand has warm properties, and is used for vomiting, nausea, indigestion,and the like that occur due to a weak stomach.

Puerariae Flos, Citri Fructus Aurantii, or Citri Pericarpium of thepresent invention may be commercially available, or cultivated orcollected from the wild. In addition, Puerariae Flos, Citri FructusAurantii, or Citri Pericarpium includes dried and crushed formsregardless of the shape thereof.

The extract of the present invention may be extracted from a subject tobe extracted such as a plant body, or the like after being treated withan extraction solvent, or may be prepared by applying a fractionationsolvent to an extract obtained by extraction with an extraction solventto be fractionated.

The extract or fraction includes an extract itself, such as a diluted orconcentrated form of the extract, a dried product obtained by drying theextract, a crude-purified or purified product of the extract, mixturesthereof, and the like, and all preparations that can be formulated usingsuch extracts. In particular, the extract of the present invention maybe prepared in a dried form after being extracted. In addition, afterthe extraction or fractionation process, vacuum filtration may beperformed or concentration and/or lyophilization may be furtherperformed to concentrate the extract or fraction or remove the solventtherefrom. The obtained extract may be stored in a deep freezer untilused.

The subject to be extracted, used in the extract of the presentinvention, includes embryoid bodies and cultures of tissues usingnatural, crossbred or variant plants and cells.

The type of the extraction solvent is not particularly limited, and anysolvent known in the art may be used as long as it allows an extractwith desired effects of the present invention to be obtained. Inparticular, the extraction solvent may be one or more selected from thegroup consisting of water and an organic solvent. The organic solventmay be one or more solvent selected from the group consisting of C1-C5alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, and the like, ethyl acetate,acetone, and chloroform.

The extraction solvent is preferably water. In a particular embodiment,a degree to which menopausal symptoms are alleviated using a mixture ofa Puerariae Flos extract and a Citri Fructus Aurantii or CitriPericarpium extract, obtained using purified water, is evaluated, fromwhich it is confirmed that viability, osteoblast differentiation, andproliferation ability of cells treated with the extract mixture areenhanced, and experimental groups administered the extract mixtureexhibit alleviated menopausal symptoms.

The fractionation solvent may be water, butanol, ethyl acetate, ether,chloroform, benzene, hexane, methylenechloride, or a mixture thereof.The fraction may be an extract prepared using the above-describedextraction method, in particular, a fraction prepared by furtherfractionating a crude extract. The fractionation process may beperformed by, for example, sequentially applying hexane, chloroform,ethyl acetate, butanol, and water to a crude extract, and thensequentially obtaining a hexane fraction, a chloroform fraction, anethyl acetate fraction, a butanol fraction, and a water fraction thatare separated into layers.

The method of preparing the extract of the present invention is notparticularly limited, and the extract may be obtained using any methodcommonly used in the art. Non-limiting examples of the extraction methodinclude hot water extraction, ultrasonic extraction, filtration, andreflux extraction, and these methods may be performed alone or two ormore of these methods may be performed in combination. In addition, theextract may be subjected to extraction once or more in the same mannerto obtain a high-purity extract.

The term ‘menopausal symptoms’ collectively refers to symptoms andillnesses of women before or after menopause as estrogen secretiondecreases due to aging of ovaries, or the like. This term is alsoreferred to as climacteric syndrome or menopausal symptoms. For example,the climacteric or menopausal symptoms include facial blushing,perspiration, nervousness, depression, giddiness, fatigue, arthralgia,muscular aches, headaches, heart palpitations, formication, sweatingduring sleep, sleeping disorders, dry skin, vaginal dryness, vaginalatrophy, atrophy of the lower urethra, dyspareunia, vaginitis, cystitis,dysuria, cramps, concentration disorders, memory disorders, anxiety,hypersensitivity, memory loss, skin dryness, arthralgia, andosteoporosis, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Inaddition, cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, hypertension,and stroke may also be one of the menopausal symptoms.

The term ‘osteoporosis’ as used herein refers to a condition in whichfractures are highly likely to occur because the bones become weak, andis caused by genetic factors, early menopause, drugs, smoking, or thelike. Thus, this term may refer to menopausal osteoporosis occurring dueto a decrease in hormone production by menopause of women, or the like.Menopausal osteoporosis refers to symptoms of osteoporosis occurring inpostmenopausal women due to an imbalance between osteoblasts involved inbone formation and osteoclasts involved in destruction and absorption oftissue, caused by a decrease in hormone production.

The term ‘prevention’ as used herein means all actions that inhibit ordelay targeted symptoms via administration of the composition of thepresent invention.

The term ‘treatment’ as used herein means all actions that alleviate orrelieve targeted symptoms or diseases via administration of thecomposition of the present invention.

The term ‘alleviation’ as used herein means all actions that alleviateor beneficially change targeted symptoms via administration of thecomposition of the present invention, as compared to the administration.

The extract may be included in the composition of the present inventionin an effective amount. The term ‘effective amount’ as used hereinrefers to an amount of the extract sufficient to inhibit or delaymenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis, to alleviate the ongoing symptoms,or to exhibit an effect of promoting the differentiation andproliferation of osteoblasts.

The extract mixture may be included in the composition in a variety ofamounts, as an effective amount that enables the prevention,alleviation, or treatment of menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis. Inparticular, the amounts of the Puerariae Flos extract, the Citri FructusAurantii extract, and the Citri Pericarpium extract may be 0.001 wt % to30 wt %, 0.001 wt % to 30 wt %, and 0.001 wt % to 30 wt %, respectively,based on a total weight of the composition. In addition, the amount ofthe extract mixture included in the composition of the present inventionmay be 0.01 wt % or more, for example, 0.1 wt % or more, preferably, 10wt % or more, with respect to the total weight of the composition. Whenthe amount of the extract mixture is within the above-described ranges,a more excellent effect of preventing or alleviating menopausal symptomsor osteoporosis may be obtained.

When each effective ingredient is included in an amount of less than thelower limit, the efficacy of preventing, treating, or alleviatingmenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis may not be exhibited. On the otherhand, when each effective ingredient is included in an amount of greaterthan the upper limit, physical properties, color, and unique flavors ofthe effective ingredients themselves may adversely affect products.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the compositionmay include 1 mg to 1000 mg, preferably, 5 mg to 500 g, more preferably,10 mg to 300 g, of the extract of the present invention with respect to1 kg of the composition.

The composition according to the present invention may be a foodcomposition for preventing or alleviating menopausal symptoms orosteoporosis.

The present invention also provides a food for preventing or alleviatingmenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis which includes the above-describedcomposition.

Puerariae Flos, Citri Fructus Aurantii, and Citri Pericarpium includedin the food composition of the present invention are natural substancesand have long been used and thus stability thereof has been verified. Inaddition, these substances can be generally prepared in the form of aningestible food to be ingested, and thus may be expected to be highlyeffective in preventing or alleviating menopausal symptoms orosteoporosis.

In one particular embodiment, it was experimentally confirmed that agroup of subjects who was administered soft capsules including both thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantii or CitriPericarpium extract exhibited alleviated menopausal symptoms.

The term ‘food’ as used herein refers to a natural substance orprocessed product including one or more nutrients. Preferably, the foodrefers to a food in a state of being directly eaten through a certaindegree of processing. In addition, the food generally includes healthfunctional foods, functional foods, beverages, food additives, andbeverage additives.

The food includes all general foods. For example, the foods may bevarious kinds of foods, beverages, gum, tea, vitamin complexes, healthfunctional foods, or the like. In addition, the food of the presentinvention includes special nutrition foods (e.g., milk formulas, infantmeals, and the like), processed meat products, fish meat products, beancurds, jellied foods, noodles (e.g., instant noodles, pastas, and thelike), health supplement foods, seasonings for food (e.g., soy sauce,soybean paste, red pepper paste, mixed soy paste, and the like), sauces,confectionaries (e.g., snacks), dairy products (e.g., fermented milk,cheese, and the like), other processed foods, kimchi, pickled foods(e.g., fermented vegetables, pickled vegetables, and the like),beverages (e.g., fruit and vegetable beverages, soybean milk products,fermented drinks, and the like), flavor enhancers (e.g., ramen soupbases, and the like), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The foods, the functional foods, the health functional foods, thebeverages, the food additives, and the beverage additives may beprepared using general preparation methods.

In the present invention, the health functional food refers to a groupof foods having added values provided by a physical, biochemical, orbiotechnological method so that the corresponding food imparts orexhibits intended functions suitable for specific applications, or aprocessed food designed such that a composition of the food sufficientlyimparts, in the body, body modulation functions regarding biologicaldefense rhythm control, disease prevention and restoration, and thelike. The health functional food has a more aggressive effect ofmaintaining or promoting health, and the health supplement food refersto a food for the purposes of health supplementation. In some cases, theterms “functional food”, “health food”, and “health supplement food” areinterchangeably used. The term “functional food” as used herein isinterchangeably used with the term “food for special health use(FoSHU)”, and refers to a food with excellent medical effects processedso as to effectively exhibit body modulation functions in addition tonutrient supply. The term “functional” as used herein means acquisitionof effectiveness in health applications such as regulation of nutrients,physiological functions, or the like with respect to the structure andfunction of the human body. The functional food of the present inventionmay be prepared using methods commonly used in the art, and may beprepared by adding raw materials and ingredients commonly added in theart. The food composition of the present invention may be prepared invarious types of formulations, and uses foods as raw materials unlikegeneric medicines, resulting in no side effects and the like that mayoccur due to long-term use of drugs, and is highly portable, and,accordingly, the food composition is easily administered as an adjuvantfor promoting an effect of preventing or alleviating menopausal symptomsor osteoporosis.

In particular, the health functional food refers to a food prepared byadding the extract of the present invention or a fraction thereof to afood substance, such as beverages, teas, flavor enhancers, gums,confectionaries, and the like, or a food prepared into capsules, powder,suspensions, or the like using the extract of the present invention or afraction thereof, and means that, when the food is administered,specific effects in terms of health are obtained. However, unlikegeneric drugs, the health functional food uses foods as raw materials,and thus has no side effects that may occur due to long-term use ofdrugs.

The amount of the composition in the health functional food of thepresent invention may be 0.001 wt % to 70 wt %, preferably, 0.01 wt % to50 wt % or 0.1 wt % to 30 wt %, with respect to a total weight of thehealth functional food.

The food may include a sitologically acceptable food supplementadditive, and may further include suitable carriers, excipients, anddiluents commonly used to prepare a health functional food.

The composition may include an additional ingredient commonly used infood compositions to enhance smell, taste, appearance, and the like. Forexample, the additional ingredient may include vitamins A, C, D, E, B1,B2, B6, and B12, niacin, biotin, folate, panthotenic acid, and the like.In addition, the additional ingredient may include minerals such as zinc(Zn), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg), manganese(Mn), copper (Cu), and the like. In addition, the additional ingredientmay include amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan, cysteine, valine,and the like.

The composition may include food additives such as preservatives (e.g.,potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, salicylic acid, sodiumdehydroacetate, and the like), disinfectants (e.g., bleaching powder andhigh-grade bleaching powder, sodium hypochlorite, and the like),antioxidants (butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), andthe like), colorants (tar pigments, and the like), color fixing agents(sodium nitrite, sodium acetate, and the like), a bleaching agent(sodium sulfite), seasonings (monosodium glutamate (MSG), and the like),sweeteners (dulcin, cyclamate, saccharin, sodium, and the like),flavorings (vanilla, lactones, and the like), swelling agents (alum,potassium hydrogen D-tartrate, and the like), a reinforcing agent, anemulsifying agent, a thickener (filler), a coating agent, a gum baseagent, an antifoaming agent, a solvent, an improving agent, and thelike. The additives may be selected according to the type of food andused in appropriate amounts.

In the case of a composition including the extract of the presentinvention or a fraction thereof, the composition may appropriatelyinclude the extract or the fraction thereof alone or in combination withother foods or food ingredients according to a commonly used method. Amixing amount of active ingredients may be appropriately determinedaccording to the purposes of use (prevention, health or medicaltreatment). In general, in preparation of foods or beverages, the foodcomposition of the present invention may be added in an amount of 30parts by weight or less, preferably, 20 parts by weight or less, withrespect to raw materials. However, when ingested for a long period oftime for health and hygiene purposes, the food composition may beincluded in an amount in or less than the above ranges of amounts. Thefood composition has no problem in terms of safety, and thus may also beused in an amount in or greater than the above ranges of amounts.

The food composition of the present invention may be, for example, ahealth beverage composition.

The term “beverage” as used herein collectively refers to drinks forrelieving thirst and enjoying a taste, and includes health functionalbeverages.

The beverage includes, as an essential ingredient, the extract of thepresent invention as an active ingredient, and other ingredients thereofare not particularly limited. In addition, the beverage may include, asadditional ingredients, various flavoring agents, natural carbohydrates,or the like as in general beverages.

The natural carbohydrates may be, for example, monosaccharides such asglucose, fructose, and the like, disaccharides such as maltose, sucrose,and the like, polysaccharides such as dextrin, cyclodextrin, and thelike, sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, and thelike, or the like. The flavoring agents may be natural flavoring agentssuch as a stevia extract such as thaumatin, rebaudioside A, orglycyrrhizin, or synthetic flavoring agents such as saccharin,aspartame, and the like.

The natural carbohydrates may be added generally in an amount of about 1g to about 20 g, preferably, 5 g to 12 g, based on 100 ml of the foodcomposition of the present invention, but the present invention is notlimited thereto. In addition, the composition of the present inventionmay further include flesh for the preparation of natural fruit juice,fruit juice beverages, and vegetable beverages.

In addition to the above-listed ingredients, the food composition of thepresent invention may include additives such as various nutritionalsupplements, vitamins, minerals (electrolytes), flavors such assynthetic flavors, natural flavors, and the like, colorants andenhancers (enhancers: cheese, chocolates, and the like), pectic acid andsalts thereof, alginic acid and salts thereof, organic acids, aprotective colloid thickener, a pH adjusting agent, a stabilizer, apreservative, glycerin, alcohols, a carbonating agent used in carbonatedbeverages, and the like. The proportion of these additives is not muchimportant, but the amounts of the additives are generally selected from0.01 parts by weight to 0.1 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weightof the composition of the present invention.

The health functional beverages refer to a group of beverages havingadded values provided by a physical, biochemical, or biotechnologicalmethod so that the corresponding beverages impart or exhibit intendedfunctions suitable for specific applications, or processed beveragesdesigned such that a composition of the beverages sufficiently imparts,in the body, body modulation functions regarding biological defenserhythm control, disease prevention and restoration, and the like.

The health functional beverage includes the extract of the presentinvention as an essential ingredient, and other ingredients thereof arenot particularly limited. In addition, the health functional beveragemay include, as additional ingredients, various flavoring agents,natural carbohydrates, or the like as in general beverages.

The food may further include food additives and, unless otherwiseprescribed, the suitability of food additives is determined by thespecification and standard of the concerned item in accordance withgeneral provisions and general test methods of the Korean Food AdditivesCodex approved by the Korean Food and Drug Administration.

In addition, the composition according to the present invention may be apharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of menopausalsymptoms or osteoporosis which includes the extract mixture.

The present invention also provides a drug or quasi-drug including theabove-described pharmaceutical composition.

In one embodiment, it was confirmed that, when an MCF-7 cell line, whichis a breast cancer cell line, was treated with the extract mixture ofthe present invention, cell viability was enhanced, and it wasexperimentally confirmed using the Kupperman index that, as a result ofdirectly taking the extract of the present invention, menopausalsymptoms were alleviated (see Experimental Examples 1 and 5). Inaddition, it was experimentally confirmed that, when MG-63 cells, whichare osteoblast-like cells, were treated with the extract mixture of thepresent invention, the proliferation of osteoblasts was promoted,whereas, in the case of osteoclasts, the proliferation thereof wasinhibited (see Experimental Examples 2 to 4).

The term “pharmaceutical composition” as used herein refers to acomposition for the diagnosis, therapy, alleviation, medical treatment,or prevention of diseases of animals including humans.

The extract of the present invention may be included in the compositionin an amount effective in preventing, alleviating, or treatingmenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis. In particular, the amounts of thePuerariae Flos extract, the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract, and theCitri Pericarpium extract in the composition may be 0.001 wt % to 30 wt%, 0.001 wt % to 30 wt %, and 0.001 wt % to 30 wt %, respectively, withrespect to a total weight of the composition. When each ingredient isincluded in an amount less than the lower limit, an effect of preventingor treating menopausal symptoms may not be exhibited, and, when eachingredient is included in an amount greater than the upper limit,physical properties, color, and unique flavors of the ingredientsthemselves may adversely affect products.

In addition, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention maybe used alone or in combination with other pharmaceutical activeingredients that exhibit an effect of preventing or treating menopausalsymptoms and/or osteoporosis.

The composition of the present invention may be administered to anindividual in a pharmaceutically effective amount. The term“pharmaceutically effective amount” as used herein refers to an amountsufficient to treat diseases at a reasonable benefit/risk ratioapplicable to medical treatment and not cause side effects, and aneffective dosage level may be determined according to factors includinghealth conditions of patients, type of diseases of patients, theseverity of diseases, the activity of drugs, sensitivity to drugs,administration method, administration time, administration route,excretion rate, treatment period, drugs that are formulated orco-administered, and other factors well known in medical fields. Inparticular, the composition of the present invention may be administeredto an individual generally in an amount of 0.01 mg to 5000 mg per bodyweight (1 kg) of the individual daily, and may be administered once orseveral times a day at regular time intervals according to theprescription of a doctor or a pharmacist, but the present invention isnot limited thereto.

The composition may be administered to mammals including rats, mice,livestock, humans, and the like via various routes such as parenteraladministration, oral administration, and the like. All administrationmethods can be expected, for example, oral injection, rectal orintravenous injection, muscular injection, subcutaneous injection,intrauterine epidural injection, and intracerebroventricular injection.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may include theabove-described extract alone as an active ingredient, and may furtherinclude a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, an excipient, a diluent,and/or an accessory ingredient according to formulation, usage form, andusage purpose.

More particularly, the pharmaceutical composition may further include,in addition to the active ingredient, nutritional supplements, vitamins,electrolytes, flavoring agents, colorants, enhancers, pectic acid andsalts thereof, alginic acid and salts thereof, organic acids, protectivecolloid thickeners, pH adjusting agents, stabilizers, preservatives,glycerin, alcohols, carbonating agents used in carbonated beverages, andthe like.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable” as used herein refers tophysiologically acceptable and means that, when administered to ananimal, preferably, a human, generally, gastrointestinal disorders,allergic reactions such as dizziness, or reactions similar thereto donot occur.

For example, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the excipient, orthe diluent may be one or more selected from the group consisting oflactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol,maltitol, starch, acacia rubber, alginate, gelatin, calcium phosphate,calcium silicate, cellulose, methyl cellulose, microcrystallinecellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, water, methyl hydroxybenzoate, propylhydroxybenzoate, talc, magnesium stearate, mineral oil, dextrin, calciumcarbonate, propylene glycol, liquid paraffin, and physiological saline,but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, commonly usedcarriers, excipients, or diluents may also be used.

One or a combination of the above-listed ingredients may be added to theextract, which is an active ingredient.

Preparations of the pharmaceutical composition may vary depending on themethod of use and may be formulated using methods well known in the artto which the present invention pertains to provide rapid, sustained ordelayed release of the active ingredient after being administered to amammal. The preparations may be, for example, preparations selected fromthe group consisting of ointments, creams, tablets, pills, powders,granules, capsules, suspensions, liquids for internal use, emulsions,syrups, aqueous solutions, non-aqueous solvents, and oil solutions.

For the preparations, the pharmaceutical composition may further includeexcipients, for example, general fillers, extenders, binders,disintegrating agents, surfactants, anti-coagulants, lubricants, wettingagents, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, preservatives, sweetening agents,fragrances, or the like.

Generally, solid preparations for oral administration include tablets,caplets, soft or hard capsules, pills, powders, granules, and the like.These preparations may be formulated in combination with one or moreexcipients, for example, starch, calcium carbonate, sucrose, lactose,gelatin, and the like. In addition to simple excipients, lubricants suchas magnesium stearate or talc may also be used.

In addition, liquid preparations for oral administration includesuspensions, liquids and solutions for internal use, emulsions, syrups,and the like, and may include various excipients, for example, wettingagents, sweetening agents, fragrances, preservatives, and the like, inaddition to commonly used simple diluents such as water or liquidparaffin.

Examples which may be mentioned for dermal administration includecarriers and/or excipients suitable for preparing dusting powders,emulsions, suspensions, oils, sprays, ointments, greasy ointments, creampastes, gels, foams, or solutions, and suitable for transdermaltherapeutic systems (TTSs). Topical pharmaceutical preparations of thepresent invention may be semi-solid formulations, in particular,ointments (solution ointment and suspension ointment), creams, gels, orpastes. Examples mainly used for oil phases include fatty alcohols suchas lauryl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol, fatty acids suchas palmitic acid and stearic acid, liquid or solid paraffin orozokerite, liquid- or solid-phase waxes such as isopropyl myristate,natural fats or partially synthetic fats such as coconut fatty acidtriglycerides, hydrogenated oils such as hydrogenated peanut and castoroil, and fatty acid partial esters of glycerol such as glycerolmonostearate and glycerol distearate. Suitable emulsifiers includesurfactants, for example, non-ionic surfactants such as polyalcohols orfatty acid esters of ethylene oxide adducts thereof, e.g., polyglycerolfatty acid esters or polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters,sorbitan fatty acid esters, e.g., sorbitan oleate and/or sorbitanisostearate, isostearate, sterols, or polyoxyethylene fatty alcoholethers or fatty acid esters; and anionic surfactants such as alkalinemetal salts of fatty alcohol sulfonates, e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate,sodium cetyl sulfate, or sodium stearyl sulfate. These surfactants aregenerally used in the presence of the above fatty alcohol, for example,cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol. Among these, in particular,preparations for preventing drying of creams, for example, polyalcoholssuch as glycerol, sorbitol, propylene glycol, and/or polyethylene glycolmay be added to a water phase or preservatives, flavorings, or the likemay be added to a water phase.

The pharmaceutical preparations of the present invention may beanhydrous ointments, and may include paraffin, which is suitable fortopical application and is liquid at body temperature, in particular,low-viscosity paraffin, or the natural fats or partially synthetic fats,e.g., coconut fatty acid triglycerides, hydrogenated oils such ashydrogenated peanut or castor oil, fatty acid partial esters ofglycerol, e.g., glycerol monostearate and distearate, silicones such aspolymethylsiloxanes, e.g., hexamethylsiloxane or octamethyltrisiloxane.For example, the pharmaceutical preparations may include fatty alcoholsthat are associated with water-based cream and increase water absorptioncapacity, sterols, wool waxes, other emulsifiers and/or other additives.

In the present invention, when the pharmaceutical composition isformulated as a drug, contents disclosed in Remington's PharmaceuticalScience, Mack Publishing Company, Easton Pa. may be referred to, and thedocuments are incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The pharmaceutical composition may be a quasi-drug composition.

The term “quasi-drug” as used herein means any one of the followingcommodities: fibers, rubber products or similar products used for thepurpose of treatment, alleviation, medical care, or prevention human oranimal diseases; non-appliance, non-machinery or similar commoditiesthat have insignificant influences on or do not directly act upon humanbodies; preparations used for sterilization, insecticide, and usessimilar thereto for the purpose of preventing infectious diseases, andmeans products used for the purposes of diagnosis, medical care,alleviation, treatment, or prevention of diseases of human beings oranimals, excluding appliances, machinery and equipment; and products,other than appliances, machinery or equipment, used for the purpose ofexerting pharmacological effects upon the structure or functions ofhuman beings or animals, in particular, preparations for externalapplication to the skin or personal hygiene products, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto.

When the extract mixture or the fraction of the present invention isadded to a quasi-drug composition to prevent or treat menopausalsymptoms or osteoporosis, the extract or fraction may be added alone orin combination with other quasi-drug ingredients, and may beappropriately used according to a general method. A mixing amount ofactive ingredients may be appropriately determined according to thepurpose of use.

The preparations for external application to the skin are notparticularly limited, and may be prepared in the form of, for example,ointments, lotions, sprays, patches, creams, powders, suspensions, orgels. The personal hygiene products are not particularly limited, butmay be, in particular, soap, cosmetics, wet tissue, tissue paper,shampoo, skin cream, face cream, toothpaste, lipstick, perfume, makeup,foundation, blusher, mascara, eye shadow, sunscreen lotion, hair careproducts, air freshener gel, or cleansing gel. In addition, otherexamples of the quasi-drug composition of the present invention includedisinfectant cleaners, shower foams, wet tissue, detergent soap, handwash, masks, or ointments.

In addition, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention maybe used alone for alleviation, relief, treatment, or prevention, or incombination with surgery, hormone treatment, drug treatment, and methodsusing biological response modifiers.

The present invention also provides a method of preventing or treatingmenopausal symptoms or osteoporosis, including administering, to anindividual, a pharmaceutically effective amount of the composition forthe prevention or treatment of menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis.

The terms “menopausal symptoms”, “menopausal osteoporosis”,“prevention”, “treatment”, and “administration” have been alreadydescribed above.

Dosage, the frequency of administration, and administration routes forthe above administration are the same as described above.

The term “individual” as used herein refers to all animals includinghumans, monkeys, cows, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, quails,cats, dogs, mice, rats, rabbits, or guinea pigs that have the menopausalsymptoms or osteoporosis, or have a risk thereof, and the composition ofthe present invention may be administered to an individual, therebyeffectively preventing or treating the disease.

In addition, the composition according to the present invention may be acomposition for external application to the skin.

The composition for external application to the skin may be used for theprevention or alleviation of menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis. Inparticular, this composition may be used for the alleviation orprevention of symptoms such as skin dryness or facial blushing thatappear due to menopause.

The description of the terms “menopausal symptoms”, “menopausalosteoporosis”, “alleviation”, and “prevention” has already been providedabove.

The composition for external application to the skin means as includingall compositions for the preparation of drugs, quasi-drugs, orcosmetics. For example, the composition may be a cosmetic composition.

An effective amount of the extract included in the composition of thepresent invention may vary according to the type of products of thecomposition, methods by which the extract is applied to the skin,retention time of the composition on the skin, and the like.

For example, when the composition is manufactured as a drug fordermatological treatment, the drug composition may include the extractin a higher concentration than that when manufactured as a cosmeticapplied to the skin daily. Even when the composition is manufactured asa cosmetic, in the case of wash-off type cosmetics in which activeingredients thereof remain on the skin for a short period of time, suchas makeup removing agents, cleansing agents, and the like, the extractmay be included in a relatively high concentration. In contrast, in thecase of leave-on type cosmetics in which active ingredients thereofremain on the skin for a long period of time, such as tonics, milkylotions, creams, essences, and the like, the extract may be included ina lower concentration than that of such wash-off type cosmetics.

The composition may be formulated in any preparations that may beapplied to the integument. For example, the preparations may be selectedfrom the group consisting of ointments, plasters, patches, liquids andsolutions, suspensions, emulsions, pastes, gels, creams, lotions,powders, soaps, surfactant-containing cleansings, oils, foundations,tonics, cosmetic ointment, sprays, packs, sunscreens, makeup bases,makeup powders, makeup removers, and cleansing agents, but the presentinvention is not limited to the above examples.

The composition for external application, including the extractaccording to the present invention, may further include a cosmeticallyacceptable carrier, a diluent, an adjuvant, a colorant, a stabilizer, aflavoring agent, a surfactant, oils, a moisturizing agent, alcohols, athickener, an antioxidant, a pH adjuster, a sunscreen, and the like tofacilitate use and handling. When the composition including the extractaccording to the present invention is used as a composition for externalapplication to the skin, the composition may be formulated in anypreparations that may be applied to the integument, such as liquids andsolutions, oils, creams, ointments, stick forms, packs, pastes, powders,and the like. In addition, the compositions may include one or two ormore of the above-listed materials.

When the composition for external application is formulated as acosmetic, the composition may include a known dermatologicallyacceptable excipient that acts as a carrier for active ingredients. Inparticular, contents disclosed in International Cosmetic IngredientDictionary, 6th ed., the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association,Inc., Washington, 1995 may be referred to, and the documents areincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The present invention also provides a cosmetic including the extractmixture as an active ingredient.

The cosmetic may have any one preparation selected from the groupconsisting of tonics, essences, skins, lotions, creams, and packs.

The cosmetic may be, for example, toner, skin softener, skin toner,astringent, lotion, milk lotion, moisturizing lotion, nutrition lotion,massage cream, nourishing cream, moisturizing cream, hand cream,foundation, essence, nutrition essence, pack, cleansing foam, cleansinglotion, cleansing cream, body lotion, body cleanser, and the like, butthe present invention is not limited to the above examples.

The numerical values described in the present specification should beconstrued as including equivalent ranges unless otherwise specified.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detailwith reference to examples to aid in understanding of the presentinvention. However, the examples of the present invention may bemodified in many different forms, and should not be construed aslimiting the scope of the present invention. The examples of the presentinvention are provided so that the invention will be more fullyexplained to those of ordinary skill in the art.

EXAMPLES Preparation Example 1. Preparation of Extract for In VitroExperiments

Ethanol extracts were used in the following examples and purchased fromOBM Lab. Extracts were prepared through a raw material introductionprocess to mix raw materials with 100% of ethyl alcohol, aroom-temperature extraction process, a filtering process to removeimpurities, and a concentration process to reach 85% solid, and wereused in in vitro cell experiments.

Preparation Example 2. Preparation of Soft Capsules for ClinicalEvaluation Using Kupperman Index Experiments

Soft capsules for clinical evaluation were prepared through, largely, aprocess of preparing main ingredients (menopausal substances) and aprocess of preparing soft capsules.

First, a main ingredient was prepared by applying a 10-fold amount ofpurified water to a dried powder sample of Puerariae Flos and performingextraction thereon at 80° C. for 6 hours using an extraction device. Theextract was filtered using filter paper with a diameter of 160 mm, andthe filtered extract was vacuum concentrated, followed bylyophilization, thereby completing preparation of the powder-typeextract. A Citri Fructus Aurantii extract and a Citri Pericarpiumextract were prepared in the same manner as described above.

Subsequently, the menopausal substances as main ingredients andexcipients, i.e., soybean oil, beeswax, soybean lecithin, andD-α-tocopherol, were mixed and stirred, followed by removal of airbubbles, to prepare contents of soft capsules, and capsule bases wereprepared by stirring purified water, a pigment, glycerin, modifiedstarch, and carrageenan, and then the capsule bases were filled with thecontents according to weight, followed by molding and drying, therebycompleting preparation of soft capsules. Ratios of amounts of thecontents of the soft capsules are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Raw material Comparative Comparative Comparative ComparativeExample Example name Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 1 2Puerariae Flos — 20 — — 10 10 extract Citri Fructus — — 20 — 10 —Aurantii extract Citri Pericarpium — — — 20 — 10 extract Soybean oil92.95 72.95 72.95 72.95 72.95 72.95 Beeswax 5 5 5 5 5 5 soybean lecithin2 2 2 2 2 2 D-α-tocopherol 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05

Experimental Example 1. Measurement of Cell Viability for MCF-7 Cells

Cell viability of the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract for an MCF-7 cellline, which is an estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cellline, was measured. The CCK-8 assay using MCF-7 cells is an experimentalmethod whereby the efficacy of naturally occurring female hormones inwomen can be confirmed. MCF-7 cells were cultured in a 96-well plateusing DMEM media supplemented with 10% FBS. 24 hours after beingcultured, the cultured cells were divided into groups including: anegative control (non-treated group), a positive control(estradiol-treated group, E2), and groups treated with one or acombination of the Puerariae Flos extract, the Citri Fructus Aurantiiextract, and the Citri Pericarpium extract. After 72 hours, cellviability was measured using CCK-8. 10 μl of the CCK-8 reagent wastreated per 100 μl of the medium and, after 1 hour, absorbance wasmeasured at 450 nm. The results thereof are shown in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, it was confirmed that all the extract-treatedgroups exhibited higher cell viability than that of the non-treatedgroup (negative control), and, when treated with the combination of thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract or thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Pericarpium extract, cell viabilitywas significantly higher than that in the groups treated with one of thethree extracts.

Experimental Example 2. Effect of Promoting Proliferation of Osteoblast

To confirm an effect of promoting the proliferation of osteoblasts, theCCK-8 assay was performed on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells.

An experiment was performed using, as experimental groups, a negativecontrol (non-treated group), a positive control (estradiol-treatedgroup, E2), groups treated with one of the extracts (Puerariae Flosextract, Citri Fructus Aurantii extract, and Citri Pericarpium extract),and groups treated with extract mixtures (Puerariae Flos+Citri FructusAurantii extract and Puerariae Flos+Citri Pericarpium extract).

First, a uniform number of MG-63 cells were cultured in a 96-well plateusing an EMEM medium supplemented with 10% FBS. After 24 hours, themedium was replaced by a FBS-free EMEM medium, and a negative control(non-treated group) and a positive control (estradiol-treated group, E2)were used, the Puerariae Flos extract, the Citri Fructus Aurantiiextract, and the Citri Pericarpium extract were treated alone, and thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract or thePuerariae Flos extract and the Citri Pericarpium extract were treated ina mixing ratio of 1:1. 48 hours after treatment, cell viability wasmeasured using CCK-8. 10 μl of the CCK-8 reagent was treated per 100 μlof the medium and, after 1 hour, absorbance was measured at 450 nm. Theresults thereof are shown in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, it was confirmed that, when the extractmixture was treated, an effect of promoting the proliferation ofosteoblasts was higher than that when each extract was treated alone,and much higher in the extract mixture-treated groups as compared to thepositive control (E2).

Experimental Example 3. Effect of Promoting Differentiation ofOsteoblast

To confirm an effect of each extract in promoting the differentiation ofosteoblasts, ALP activity was measured using human osteoblast-like MG-63cells.

Experimental groups were made in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 2.

First, a uniform number of MG-63 cells were cultured in a 24-well plateusing a DMEM medium supplemented with 10% FBS. After 24 hours, themedium was replaced by 10% charcoal stripped FBS containing a phenol redfree medium, and a negative control (non-treated group) and a positivecontrol (estradiol-treated group, E2) were used, the Puerariae Flosextract, the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract, and the Citri Pericarpiumextract were treated alone, and the Puerariae Flos extract and the CitriFructus Aurantii extract or the Puerariae Flos extract and the CitriPericarpium extract were treated in a mixing ratio of 1:1. 3 days afterculturing, the experimental groups were treated again with the samemedium and the same concentrations of the extracts, and then furthercultured for three days. After a total of 6 days of culturing, an assaywas performed using a SensoLyte® pNPP Alkaline Phosphatase Assay Kit(ANASPEC AS-72146) to measure ALP activity. The cells were washed twicewith an assay buffer, and 200 μl of a Triton X-100-containing assaybuffer was added thereto, and then plates were placed on ice to beshaking-incubated for 10 minutes. A cell suspension was transferred tomicrocentrifuge tubes, and then centrifuged at 2500×g and 4° C. for 10minutes, 50 μl of the supernatant and 50 μl of a pNPP substrate wereadded to a 96-well plate and a reaction was allowed to occur for 30minutes, and absorbance was measured at 405 nm. The results thereof areshown in FIG. 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, it was confirmed that the differentiation ofosteoblasts was more significantly promoted in the cell groups treatedwith the extract mixtures as compared to the case of the groups treatedwith each extract alone.

Experimental Example 4. Effect of Inhibiting Proliferation of Osteoclast

To confirm an effect of each extract in inhibiting the proliferation ofosteoclasts, osteoclasts were cultured using a B-Bridge® Rat PrimaryPrecursor Osteoclasts Culture Kit, and then the CCK-8 assay wasperformed thereon. First, a uniform number of cells were seeded in a96-well plate using a culture medium enclosed in the kit. Immediatelyafter seeding, the Puerariae Flos extract, the Citri Fructus Aurantiiextract, and the Citri Pericarpium extract were treated alone, and amixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantiiextract or a mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and the CitriPericarpium extract was treated according to concentration (10 ppm, 50ppm, and 100 ppm), and a negative control (non-treated group) and apositive control (estradiol-treated group, E2) were used. 72 hours aftertreatment, cell viability was measured using CCK-8. 10 μl of the CCK-8reagent was treated per 100 μl of the medium and, after 1 hour,absorbance was measured at 450 nm. The results thereof are shown in FIG.4.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, it was confirmed that the proliferation ofosteoclasts was more effectively inhibited in the cell groups treatedwith the extract mixtures as compared to the groups treated with eachextract. In particular, it was confirmed that an effect of the extractmixtures in inhibiting the proliferation of osteoclasts significantlyincreased in a concentration-dependent manner.

Experimental Example 5. Evaluation of Effect of Alleviating MenopausalSymptoms

Women with menopausal symptoms aged from late 40s to 50s were randomlydivided and administered soft capsules prepared according to ComparativeExamples 1 to 4 and Examples 1 and 2 in a daily dosage of 3 capsules for8 weeks, and then an improvement degree of menopausal symptoms wasevaluated.

Comparative Example 1 denotes a non-treated group, Comparative Example 2denotes a Puerariae Flos extract-administered group, Comparative Example3 denotes a Citri Fructus Aurantii extract-administered group,Comparative Example 4 denotes a Citri Pericarpium extract-administeredgroup, Example 1 denotes a group administered a mixture of the PuerariaeFlos extract and the Citri Fructus Aurantii extract, and Example 2denotes a group administered a mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract andthe Citri Pericarpium extract. In the case of the extract-treatedgroups, the amount of the extract (or the extract mixture) was 20 wt %with respect to a total weight of the composition.

A degree to which menopausal symptoms were alleviated 8 weeks afteradministration was measured using the Kupperman index, and, assumingthat a value before administration was 100, relative values afteradministration are shown in Table 2 below.

The Kupperman index (KI) used in the present invention is a menopausalindex used in academia and is obtained by scoring 11 symptoms (facialblushing, sweating, insomnia, nervousness, depression, dizziness,fatigue, joint pain and myalgia, headaches, heart palpitations, andvaginal dryness) shown in women with menopause, and a menopausal scoreis obtained by multiplying the score of each item by a weighted valueand adding up all the scores.

TABLE 2 Com- Com- Com- Com- parative parative parative parative Example1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 1 Example 2 93.3 86.2 89.3 88.775.7 76.8 * lower total Kupperman index means more improvement in thesymptoms

As shown in Table 2 above, it was confirmed that the composition ofExample 1 including the mixture of the Puerariae Flos extract and theCitri Fructus Aurantii extract and the composition of Example 2including the Puerariae Flos extract and the Citri Pericarpium extractexhibited a more excellent effect of alleviating menopausal symptomscompared to when treated with each extract alone.

Preparation Example 3. Preparation of Tablets

TABLE 3 Preparation Preparation Raw material name Example 3-1 Example3-2 Puerariae Flos extract 10 10 Citri Fructus Aurantii extract 10 —Citri Pericarpium extract — 10 Crystalline cellulose 76.5 76.5 Silicondioxide 1 1 Magnesium stearate 1 1 hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 0.5 0.5

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of preventing or alleviating menopausalsymptoms, the method comprising administering an effective amount of acomposition to an individual, comprising: a Puerariae Flos extract; andan extract of one or more selected from the group consisting of CitriFructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the composition comprises 1 to 100 parts by weight of theextract of one or more selected from the group consisting of CitriFructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium with respect to 10 parts byweight of the Puerariae Flos extract.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereina total amount of the extracts in the composition is 0.01 wt % or morewith respect to a total weight of the composition.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a total amount of the extracts in the composition is 10wt % to 30 wt % with respect to a total weight of the composition. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises one ormore ingredients selected from the group consisting of soybean oil,beeswax, lecithin, and tocopherol.
 6. A method of treating menopausalsymptoms, the method comprising administering a pharmaceuticallyeffective amount of a composition to an individual, comprising: aPuerariae Flos extract; and an extract of one or more selected from thegroup consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the composition comprises 1 to 100 parts byweight of the extract of one or more selected from the group consistingof Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium with respect to 10 partsby weight of the Puerariae Flos extract.
 8. The method of claim 6,wherein a total amount of the extracts in the composition is 0.01 wt %or more with respect to a total weight of the composition.
 9. The methodof claim 6, wherein a total amount of the extracts in the composition is10 wt % to 30 wt % with respect to a total weight of the composition.10. A method of preventing or alleviating osteoporosis, the methodcomprising administering an effective amount of a composition to anindividual, comprising: a Puerariae Flos extract; and an extract of oneor more selected from the group consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii andCitri Pericarpium.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the compositioncomprises 1 to 100 parts by weight of the extract of one or moreselected from the group consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and CitriPericarpium with respect to 10 parts by weight of the Puerariae Flosextract.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein a total amount of theextracts in the composition is 0.01 wt % or more with respect to a totalweight of the composition.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein a totalamount of the extracts in the composition is 10 wt % to 30 wt % withrespect to a total weight of the composition.
 14. A method of treatingosteoporosis, the method comprising administering a pharmaceuticallyeffective amount of a composition to an individual, comprising: aPuerariae Flos extract; and an extract of one or more selected from thegroup consisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the composition comprises 1 to 100 partsby weight of the extract of one or more selected from the groupconsisting of Citri Fructus Aurantii and Citri Pericarpium with respectto 10 parts by weight of the Puerariae Flos extract.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein a total amount of the extracts in the composition is0.01 wt % or more with respect to a total weight of the composition. 17.The method of claim 14, wherein a total amount of the extracts in thecomposition is 10 wt % to 30 wt % with respect to a total weight of thecomposition.